NEWS-PRESS (Fort Myers, Florida) 02 December 06 Orange River gator fearless — its last mistake (Kevin Lollar)
Mark Lui knew something was wrong Monday when an 8- to 9-foot-long alligator approached his kayak in the Orange River.
When the big reptile repeated its action Wednesday, Lui, 51, of Fort Myers decided to call the state’s Alligator Management Program, which Friday issued a permit for a licensed trapper to capture and kill the animal.
“I was east of Manatee Park, and it crossed in front of me then came right at me,” said Lui, an exercise physiologist. “I’ve been kayaking 15 years and never had an alligator come right at me. They always submerge and disappear. Normally they’re deathly afraid of boats.
“I slapped the water with my paddle, and it went off to the side, but it didn’t submerge. He was not afraid of the boat at all.”
Wednesday’s encounter with the alligator was even more unnerving.
“It was up on the shore, and it entered the water and started coming at me,” Lui said. “It didn’t come fast. It was just inching toward me. That’s when I said, ‘I’ve got to call on this guy.’”
Although alligators are protected by law, the state will capture and kill nuisance alligators — an alligator is considered a nuisance if it’s at least 4 feet long and poses a threat to people, pets or property.
Last year, the state received more than 18,000 nuisance alligator calls, and licensed trappers removed more than 7,700 alligators.
When a nuisance alligator is captured, the trapper kills it and sells the meat and hide.
Although very large alligators sometimes attack humans as prey, the animals generally steer clear of people.
When an alligator of any size is fed by people, however, it begins to associate people with food and can become dangerous.
As soon as Lindsey Hord, a biologist for the Alligator Management Program, heard Lui’s story, he knew what needed to be done.
“It’s got to go,” Hord said. “It approached a kayak within 5 or 6 feet. That’s not normal behavior of an alligator. The only reason it would approach a boat is if it had been fed from a boat. We’re talking people in kayaks and an alligator that size: That presents an unacceptable risk to people.”
For his part, Lui feels bad for the alligator.
“It’s really a shame,” he said. “That alligator is going to die because someone felt like they needed to feed it.”
Trapper Tracy Hansen said that he would probably try to capture the alligator today.
Orange River gator fearless — its last mistake